Entertainment Briefs

• Iggy Azalea top nominee at American Music Awards

NEW YORK (AP) - Australian rapper Iggy Azalea is the lead nominee at the American Music Awards.

Dick Clark productions announced Monday that the "Fancy" performer is up for six awards at the Nov. 23 event at Nokia Theatre L.A. Live. Azalea's nominations include artist, new artist and single of the year for her No. 1 smash "Fancy."

John Legend, Katy Perry and Pharrell Williams have five nominations each, while Lorde is nominated for four honors at the fan-voted show. Those acts are all nominated for artist of the year, competing with Beyonce, Luke Bryan, Eminem, Imagine Dragons and One Direction. The 10 nominees will downsize to five after calculating fan votes received through Nov. 13.

"Boom Clap" singer Charli XCX will perform at the 2014 AMAs, to air live on ABC.

• Real couple fuels 'Marry Me' sitcom

By FRAZIER MOORE

AP television writer

LOS ANGELES - After dating Jake for six long years, Annie figured he would pop the question during their romantic island getaway.

He didn't, and when they return home, Annie throws a comic hissy-fit over her ringless state - at the very moment Jake was poised to put a ring on her finger.

Thus begins "Marry Me," a new NBC sitcom starring Casey Wilson as the lovable but dizzy Annie and Ken Marino as her level-headed if hopelessly smitten boyfriend Jake.

Premiering today at 9 p.m. PDT, "Marry Me" reunites Wilson with creator-executive producer David Caspe, in whose former series, "Happy Endings," Wilson played a prominent role.

But in truth, Wilson and Caspe had never stopped being an item since "Happy Endings" left the air in spring 2013 after three seasons. Back then, they were dating. In May, they tied the knot.

Now Caspe gets to draw on domestic life with his vivacious leading lady while appointing Marino ("Eastbound & Down" and "Childrens Hospital") as his onscreen stand-in.

"Annie's character is very much inspired by Casey," said Caspe (the "e'' is silent), "and some of the dynamic between her and Ken's character is the same as our dynamic."

That becomes clear during a rollicking lunch as they fete a reporter at Hollywood's Paramount Pictures studios, where "Marry Me" is produced.

Caspe said he first met Wilson, then best known as a "Saturday Night Live" alum, when, late in the "Happy Endings" audition grind, she read for the role of Penny, one of that show's gang of six Chicago chums.

"There were a couple of actresses who were better than her for the part," joked Caspe. "But I wanted to make love to her, and I thought the best way to do that was to give her the part."

They remained just friends during the first season of "Happy Endings," opting for discretion. Then they ramped up to dating secretly.

"Then we started dating for real," Caspe said. "And the cast was supercool about it. Then the show got canceled."

Soon Caspe was developing a new show.

"It was perfect for Casey," he said, "and luckily she wanted to do it."

The fact that "Marry Me" was inspired by real life gave it extra appeal - or so Caspe hoped.

"When I went from network to network to pitch it, I would say one of the great things about this show is that it's going to mimic my life, since I'm about to propose to my girlfriend. I used that as a sales tool. So network presidents and development executives and assistants knew we going to be engaged before Casey knew."

"The entire TOWN knew before I did," she said, rolling her eyes.

Not that she hadn't made such wishes known.

"I had mentioned in a friendly, fun fashion, that I'd LOVE to get engaged by the end of the summer. And by 'end of summer' I meant Sept. 1."